 dreams and are committed to helping you pursue yours. I'm Madeline and today I have the privilege of interviewing Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yellich. Alright Christian, so we have some fun planned for us in the next 20 minutes. We are going to have questions and each question is going to represent an inning. How does that sound? Sounds good. Let's do it. Awesome. So like every time I have a warm-up, so I have a warm-up question for you just to get you thinking about teamwork. So our warm-up question is, when you think about teamwork what are words that come to mind? I don't know if I have specific words. I mean there's a few specific words for teamwork, but teamwork to me is like a sentence of people, everybody working together to accomplish a common goal. I guess is how I would describe teamwork. I don't know if there's a certain word for that, but that's how I would describe it. Awesome. Alright, are you ready for the first inning? Perfect. What have you learned from teams you have been a part of? Any lessons or values that you have to share? Well the most successful teams that I've been a part of usually work together good as a group. Everybody tends to get along. There's good leadership and that goes on down from the top to the bottom of the team and I think to work your best and to be the most successful. That's how it has to be. Awesome. Do you have any, no that's awesome. So we're on the second inning, sorry. Second inning, thinking outside of baseball, how have non-traditional teams like family and friends shaped your idea of teamwork? They've been supportive throughout my life. There's a lot that goes into a career like the one that I've gone down that path. It's not as smooth sailing as it seems these days. There's a lot of ups and downs and my family's been there to support me and they've been a big part of my life and I definitely wouldn't be where I am today without them. Perfect. Third inning, can you share a time when you've had to lean on your team members, traditional or non-traditional during a setback? I don't know if there's a specific instance but I mean there's a lot of adversity that you go through as an athlete or just as a person in life who's just going through the ups and downs of getting older and experiencing new things over the course of life and mine's been my family and my brothers, close friends and just being able to talk to people that you've known for a really long time that you trust and that have been there with you from the beginning. So yeah, that'd probably be my answer on that one. Do you have any kind of fun stories before you were even outside of sports where you're thinking of something that like your friends really helped you get through? Like personally for mine I like just think of my like high school friends getting me through that like bio test that was like just a hope and prayer. So they like came over and made flashcards and things like that. Do you have anything outside of sports or just like even if it's like in the past that just kind of fun? I'm sure it's just been so long. I mean yeah I'm sure I've had a moment like that in high school where I've had friends help me get through a test and one way or another. Let me see. I don't really have any specific instance that I can draw back on or that happen. No worries. All right, we are coming up to the fourth inning. So we have a fourth inning here at Dream Bank. We believe in dreams and are committed to removing obstacles that stand in people's way. Can you share a story about when you felt fully supported by a team and how did that impact your ability to dream? Well you know there's dreams and there's goals and I think if you really want to accomplish something you need to once you identify what you want to do and what your goal is and it's different for everybody but once you identify what that is in your life then it becomes about how are you going to accomplish that and everything you need to do on a daily basis should be with that in mind and geared towards that and that's just achieved through hard work. You can't hope it happens, you can't wish it happens, you have to go out there and do it and there's ups and downs throughout the road and it's definitely not easy. There's that cliche saying that nothing worth having comes easy and I think it's true. Just having experienced it there's a lot of times where there's doubt or it seems like it's crazy or it seems like it's not going to happen and you got to be able to push through that and just make it happen. I think that's what I've learned over the course of my life and my journey so far. So during your journey do you have anyone in particular or a group of people that come to mind? Everyone on their dream pursuit journey has moments where they stumble or they hit a step back and even probably lose doubt. Do you have anyone in your life that really just always believed in you and been there for you even in those moments where you might not have believed in yourself and really just kind of was a great foundation for you? Yeah, my family and they've been there the whole time and I've leaned on them. I trust them probably more than anybody in my life and my thing was I just never really had a backup plan. My goal was to play Major League Baseball and that was it. I was confident in that goal and just was convicted in it and I went for it. I was never half in, half out or wondering if I could do it because I feel like if that's the case then you're not going to succeed. All right, so we are heading into our fifth inning. How are you holding up? Perfect. All right, fifth inning. How do you help team members when they feel uninspired, stuck or going through a tough time? Well, that's a that's I think a case by case basis. I think if somebody has something going on in their personal life or something out of their control, then you would handle that a little bit differently than if somebody was just feeling sorry for themselves or not contributing to the team out of laziness or something that they could control. In our world, in the world of sports, there's no time for that. So if you have something personal going on in your life, we're obviously we're all there for you. We're going to support you fully and help you get through that tough time. But if it's one of those cases where it's a woe is me attitude, I'm feeling sorry for myself, my effort's not where it needs to be. I'm hurting other members of the team, then either that needs to be rectified and changed immediately or in the sports world, they just get rid of you. And that's the way it is in a lot of business worlds. And it's about contributing to the team and to in order to have success, then everybody needs to have a common goal in mind and do everything in their power to get to that point. So that's kind of how I look at it and somebody that's in a leadership position, and that's how it's handled either we're all working towards a common goal, or we don't really have a use for you and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. So taking this question off the field, whether so thinking more towards family and friends as a team. How do you support like if you're like, a family member or one of your friends, it's not necessarily a professional athlete is having a hard time. Are you like your go to like helping them get out of a slump? Like especially like if it's your family, are you like, go back and jokes, making their favorite fake good? Honestly, no. I that's, I surround myself with people in the like mind. And like I said, if it's a, it's a special case, a family member passes away, or something how they're really tough time, obviously, I'm there for them on the compassion and help them get through of tough time and their choosing. And it depends on the person, you know, they're your friend or family member, so you can help them out. But I don't really like surrounding myself with with people that aren't really driven or don't share a common drive. And if they feel sorry for themselves, or they constantly need to be picked up, or I just don't, for whatever reason, I've just never related to that in my life. And it's always just been about hard work and getting through tough times and not just not feeling sorry for yourself, because nobody else really does. And obviously, I said that there is circumstances in which that doesn't apply. You need to help people out and be compassionate. But it's kind of where I stand on it. Yeah, awesome. Definitely creating a network. And like your community is a huge part of your dream success. So that makes total sense. All right, we are on to our sixth inning. How have you and your team's been agile throughout your life? And how has this come into play during social distancing? I think this is a unique time in everybody's lifetime. And just doing the best you can to stay with your family, or if you're not with your family, you find ways to hopefully keep yourself busy and pass the time and try and stay safe and keep everybody that you know safe until it's all wrapped up. I think we're all looking forward to the day where we can go back to live in a normal life. But until then, it's just been a unique time trying to watch shows, pass the time doing honestly, whatever. I think there's good and bad days, some people, you know, some days are easier than others and just get through them one day at a time. So thinking about just being agile with a team and before social distancing, was there ever a time and like I said, it doesn't have to be just your team on the field, it could be family, friends, where you've had to be like agile, as like a team or a little cohort or like pivot and kind of you had one plan and then something popped up and then you just had to kind of think on your feet and quickly come up with a new plan, whether it was on the field or in a different team setting. I can't think of a specific instance, but I think your ability to adapt and adjust in your life is important. Things don't always go according to plan and you know, there's obstacles in your life or something really good happens in your life that you didn't foresee and you need to adjust to that. And I don't ever think that, you know, you should put timetables or set certain expectations for yourself or your family or friends and give them a time, because you really just don't know too many things happen in life that are unpredictable. And you should have your goals in mind, but if obstacles pop up that get in the way, it's not, I guess, for lack of a better word, a death sentence on that dream or that goal. It's just an obstacle in a way that got to figure out a way to get around it. And I guess that's a situation dependent and depending on how good or bad it is, and just go from there. Awesome. So we are entering into the seventh inning. Can you tell us about a time you came into a team that was already formed? I mean, the situation that sticks out the best to me is probably when I got traded to the Brewers and didn't know anybody and came over and just trying to fit in and do my part and contribute to the good thing that they already had going on. Awesome. Well, you can't have a seventh inning without a seventh inning stretch. So this inning is a little special than the rest because I gave us a bottom of the seventh. Don't worry, I'm not going to make you sing or anything like that. You're safe. But our bottom of the seventh question is, how did the team help you feel included? I think for me, in that instance, it was, I always just felt that, you know, baseball players are a lot of the same people and we have a lot of good leadership and a lot of good human beings on the team. So honestly, after the first few days, I felt like I've been there for a really long time and that's only grown over the years. And it's a credit to ownership, the front office, council and the way they run the organization and the team from the top to the bottom. And they've done a great job in establishing that culture and it's something that, you know, we're looking forward to continuing. And then kind of turning the question on its head. When someone new is joining your team, do you do anything to try and make them feel comfortable or welcomed? I always wanted, I'll always introduce myself, welcome them to the team. And obviously, having been in a similar situation, I understand what the process was probably like or where they're feeling or what they're at at that point. And you're trying to accommodate them and make them feel as comfortable as possible so they can contribute in a positive way to the goal that we're all chasing and the quicker they feel comfortable and the quicker they feel like they can contribute, then the better off for them and for everybody else. Awesome. We're heading into our eighth inning. What is one of your greatest achievements with the team? So I know you don't really like the baseball analogies, but I think game 163 is probably my favorite accomplishment with a team for the fact that it was a goal of ours from February through October to be in that situation and everything that we did together as a group over that course of times with that goal in mind and to be able to do that together in a visiting stadium that is not always kind to visiting players and obviously everybody that's probably watching this is familiar with the Cubs, Brewer's rivalry and how it all goes down. And it's a special feeling when you accomplish a goal that you've worked really hard for and spent a lot of time chasing with the same group of people and to finally accomplish that was an amazing feeling. And it's one of my favorite life memories, not only just baseball memories, I think. That's awesome. By co-worker actually when I was making the questions, that was like the question he wanted me to ask about. So you just made his day. So that is awesome. We are heading into the ninth inning. Homestretch. So ninth inning question is American Family Insurance was excited to help with your third street market efforts to offer meals to frontline hospital workers in Milwaukee recently. Can you share a little bit about why this was something you wanted to be a part of? Yeah, well, it was originally approached. Omar, everybody that lives in Omar's probably in Milwaukee is probably familiar with Omar. He does a lot of stuff with their street market, carnivore, a lot of great things for the city of Milwaukee. And he called myself and Ryan Braun late one night and wanted to run an idea by us. And it was providing meals for the healthcare workers and the time of the COVID-19 crisis. And obviously, we're more than willing to get back. We want to support the community that supports us and we're in a position to help others. And, you know, it was an easy decision on our part. And we're very thankful that American Family shared the same vision and wanted to contribute and to help us out. And, you know, I think we're likeminded in that sense of if you're in a position to help out in a time of need that you should do so. And we're just trying to put a to smile on somebody's face who's going through a tough time right now. And obviously, everybody knows how hard the healthcare workers have been working long hours away from their families. Not exactly the safest time to be in a hospital as a doctor or nurse. So just a small token of our gratitude. Awesome. Well, we did finish the nine questions, but no game is complete without a victory left. So I have one final question for you, Christian. If you could offer one piece of advice to someone who is working towards accomplishing their dream, whether that's to be a professional baseball player, acing a test or landing their dream job, what would it be? I think enjoying the process of getting to your end goal, whatever that is, I think sometimes people are so goal oriented, and they have the blinders on. And they always just think like, Hey, once I get to this point, everything's going to be great. It'll be what I've been working for my entire life. And they don't really take in everything that's happening around them, which is a lot of great things in the process and the journey of getting to that, that point because a lot of times not an overnight success story and something that takes months, years, maybe even longer. And I think oftentimes when just speaking from experience, oftentimes once you get to an end goal and accomplish what you've set out to do, it feels special. But a lot of times the memories or the experiences you had along the way are just as special and you shouldn't really be so goal focused, goal oriented where you miss out on all that. Awesome. Well, thanks so much for joining us. This kind of concludes our nine innings. For everyone that's watching, feel free to like our Facebook page. We have a lot of fun events coming up. And thanks so much, Christian, for joining us today. I had a lot of fun. So have a great day and stay safe, everyone.